Boca Raton FL

4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 7 line that has been under construction and now open to commuters in and out of the city. “Brightline is probably the biggest game- changing story we have had in quite some while. It is connecting the ridership from Miami to Boca to West Palm and just recently they opened it up in Orlando,” Jessica Del Vecchio, Economic Development Manager with the City of Boca Raton, explains. “It is a high-speed rail line and I think it is a game changer because it opens up Boca not just for leisurely travel to Orlando or any other type of travel to Orlando and Miami, but more importantly from a workforce perspective and economic development it is all about the corporate community for us and bringing those quality employees whether they come from West Palm or Miami.” She elaborates that “Now they can work in Boca which opens up opportunities. You can work on the train which provides free Wi- FI and then you can be at your office. It is changing our downtown and our downtown is going to see a shift because of this.” Del Vecchio is quick to point out that this high-speed rail connectivity is helping to bolster its potential business prospects. The city is busy showing potential office space based on a long list of calls from interested commercial prospects. “People are looking at our office space downtown which has not always been the case,” she adds. Work and commercial prospects look ‘bright’ The landscape of Boca Raton is changing, Del Vecchio highlights. Driven by both high-speed rail prospects, young demographics, commercial viability, and the face of the ‘new’ workforce coming out of the COVID pandemic, the city is welcoming not only locally-driven talent but also talent that can now access the city and come in when needed as the workforce switches gears to more of a hybrid working model.